Saturday, August 11, 2012

So occasionally I can be a bit of a neat freak, omg what is my life I'm a teenager blogging about cleaning OTL. Anyway, as I am all pro-earth I use natural, eco-friendly cleaning methods and I am going to share these with you now.

General cleaning:
Clean natural leather upholstery with equal parts of boiled linseed oil, cooled and vinegar.
Use methylated spirits on a soft cloth to clean phones and computers using a q-tip for the hard the reach places.
Greasy marks on wallpaper can be removed by rubbing with a piece of bread.
Rub limescale on plug holes with a cut lemon.
De-scale the shower-head in a bowl of warm neat vinegar. U
Use white vinegar to de-scale the kettle.
Use lemon juice or vinegar to bleach stains out of marble.
Use soda bicarbonate and warm water to clean the insides of fridges and freezers.
Rub cigarette burns on carpet with the edge of a silver coin, random huh?
Sprinkle damp tea leaves on wood floors to help collect dust when sweeping or to keep the dust down when cleaning out the fireplace.
Rub vegetable oil into dried paint on your hands then wipe off.

To make it shine:
Clean chrome taps with flour.
Add vinegar to water in a spray bottle for cleaning windows and wipe clean with newspaper.
Use a spot of methylated spirits on cotton wool to shine up silver in a hurry.

What has my life come too? Blogging about cleaning, tsk tsk tsk, but who cares I'm interested in this and I hope it may help some people out there.
I shall post a more fashion/beauty inspired post next!

Friday, August 10, 2012

I have been Buddhist now for 6 years and meditation has become quite a large part of my daily life. I find it has helped a lot with sleeping problems, stress from both too much work and just day to day life and has had an overall benefit on my general wellbeing. So today I am going to share with you the pros and cons of meditation and a basic how-to guide as many people don't understand how it actually works.

Basically, meditation is a practice in which you train or induce your mind into a mode a consciousness to realise a benefit, (wikipedia sounds so much smarter than me so I just pinched this) >.< Meditation has been around since the prehistoric age, early civilisations used it to communicate, or be at one with their God. Although it is primarily seen as a religious idea, it is used today to help relieve stress, help with insomnia and even tackle some mental illnesses.
There are many benefits of meditation, but the most recognised would be relieving stress, as chronic stress has become a big issue from adolescents up. What many people do not know, is that when you are meditating your heart rate and breathing slow down, so technically you are getting fitter (just a little bit) :3. Your blood pressure regulates, you use oxygen more efficiently and you sweat less (yay! Less stinky sweat patches). You produce less cortisol (it's really bad for you, it's what you release when you are stressed), your mind ages slower and your immune system improves. No only do you clear you mind, but your creativity also improves (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ. People who practice meditation regularly find it easier to give up life-threatening habits such as smoking, drinking and drugs.
Pros:
Meditation is free and always available.
It is great for short-term stress relief and long-term health.
You can feel the benefits in just one session.
There are no potential side effects.
No special equipment is required.

Cons:
It takes some practice and a lot of patience.
It may be difficult to understand how to do it at the beginning.

When I meditate I make sure I am in a quiet space, with no distractions and no way for anyone to bother me. I like to either sit on my knees or cross-legged (just be comfortable). I focus on just my breathing, but if this is difficult for you, you can focus on a slight 'oooommm' sound. I like to spend between 5 - 20 minutes meditating, sometimes even longer if I can. Once you have practiced regularly you will find it easier to do it for longer and eventually can block out any possible distractions from around you.

So I hope this post has inspired you to possibly give meditation a try. I love it and hope you do too.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

I go by many names, Allie, Footsteps or Oli just to name a few, but presently I am most commonly known as Arisu.
I was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, by my French Mother and Croatian Father.

I am in my second to last year at high-school and am currently wishing to study a bachelor in musical arts when I finish. Music is my biggest passion, but not my only one. I am also interested incredibly by fashion, organisation, Japanese culture, vintage items and the environment, (reduce, reuse, recycle!).

Through this blog I will be sharing my favourite DIY projects, recipes, fashion, make-up, how-to's and any tips and tricks that may tickle my fancy. Please note that when it comes to recipes I am gluten, dairy and soy free so if you are any of those, or just prefer an organic, less processed meal, then they are definitely for you. I am an animal rights activist so any products used are cruelty free and generally good for the environment.

Take your time and I hope you enjoy your visit to my world of black cats and full moons...